Struck by car, hit in head with a hammer, and buried alive, Eastern Washington dog manages to survive

Washington State University announced today that its Veterinary Teaching Hospital treated a stray dog from Moses Lake that had been struck by a car, hit in the head with a hammer, and buried alive.

Despite the severity of her injuries, Theia is doing amazingly well. Photo from Sara Mellado.

The dog, a one-year-old pit bull mix, was a stray in Moses Lake. She was well-known in the community, and she had lots of fans, many of whom would feed her scraps.

After disappearing for a few days, she showed up at a nearby farm “hobbling, dirt-covered and emaciated.” And despite having “a dislocated jaw, leg injuries and a caved-in sinus cavity,” she still managed to wag her tail when someone found her.

After hearing about the her on Facebook, Moses Lake resident Sarah Mellado took in the dog, who she named Theia, and asked a friend to drive the dog to WSU where she could get the expert care she needed.

While no one can say for sure what happened to her, her condition indicated she had been struck by a car. The vets speculated that someone found her, struck her in the head with a hammer to stop her suffering and, assuming she was dead, buried her. They described the act as “a misguided mercy killing.”

But Theia wasn’t dead, and she somehow managed to dig herself out of her makeshift grave.

Mellado, who has 2 young kids and works full time, said, “Considering everything that she’s been through, she’s incredibly gentle and loving.”

Sara Medello has adopted Theia and is trying to raise money for a surgery to help her breath more easily. Photo from WSU.

The hospital’s Good Samaritan Fund committee contributed $700 to help pay for Theia’s treatment.

Although Theia has made an amazing recovery, she still has trouble breathing when she lays down to sleep due to “a condition called nasopharyngeal stenosis, the constriction of the nasal passages that restricts air flow into the lungs” caused by “multiple nasal bone fractures.” And due to her fractured jaw, it’s difficult for her to open her mouth to breathe.

WSU surgery veterinary resident Andrea Sundholm said that surgery to insert a stent and remove scar tissue would solve the problem, but it would cost at least $3000 which Mellado said she can’t afford to pay.

Mellado said that Theia would survive without the surgery, but her breathing problems would persist and prevent her from sleeping comfortably.

If you can, click on the link and make a contribution. After fighting so hard to overcome the horrific pain and suffering she has endured and literally digging out of her own grave, Theia deserves our help to ensure she lives the rest of her life as happily and comfortably as possible.